- it has great graphics; and,
- it's great for the archives
Total fossil fuel production.
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, given its top spot in both oil and natural gas production, that the U.S. took the top spot overall. Russia in second place was also not a surprise, but Iran in third place will be a surprise to many.
It might also be a surprise that more Middle Eastern countries weren’t on the Top 10 list, but that countries like Canada, China, Norway, and Australia were all in the Top 10.
Norway is perhaps the biggest surprise, because they only made the Top 10 in one category, coming in at No. 7 in natural gas production.Other surprises:
- crude oil: China, #5; ahead of every middle Eastern country except Saudi Arabia
- natural gas: #7, Norway; the latter did not meet the top ten list for crude oil
- coal: among the top, Germany which is thought to be (one of) the "greenest" countries in the western world, among those that signed the Kyoto Protocol; China produces 46% of the world's total
A reader suggested this link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Top_5_Coal_Producing_Countries.png --
Look at this. What an incredible graph. First, the growth is incredible -- 240% growth over the time of interest. But then look at the amount of coal China is using compared to the maximum amount the US used. This is truly "beyond the pale," as they say in Ireland.
But also note the growth in coal production in Indonesia and India. It's quite obvious that both India and Indonesia will surpass coal production in the US in the out-years.
